Carry (On)
by Physaliidae
Summary: Kotetsu realizes his powers are diminishing by the hour. His intentions of quitting his Hero duties have been tormenting him for days. In a faint attempt to apologize to Barnaby, the Wild Tiger finds himself between the blade and the wall when his feelings come to the surface, at last. T for language and sexual innuendos.


**Why hello! This will be a collection of short TigerxBunny chapters.**

**I don't own Tiger & Bunny (duh). I do own a quite frankly unhealthy fixation for Kotetsu.**

**Reviews are always very appreciated - also, don't forget to follow. I'll be uploading (hopefully) soon.**

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**.: Carry On :.**

It was way past midnight when he finally opened his eyes. Slowly, he looked around to find no one in sight, as usual. Barnaby was the only Hero who sticked around at the headquarters long enough to see all the other members head back to their homes, late in the afternoon, eager to call it a day and have a warm meal with their family. Even though the building was partially opened 24/7 (for training purposes and all that jazz), Tiger was usually the last person to leave before Barnaby, keeping him some company while he, himself, enjoyed a chat.

Not that night though. The blonde ran a hand through his messy locks, muddled from sleeping in such a weird angle, and got up from the uncomfortable armchair. It had been quite the nap, he thought, checking his watch as he walked towards his training kitbag. His neck hurt too; he moved it from side to side a few times while he packed.

"Geez." he was visibly upset. Letting himself sleep on such a place (and no one woke him up, on top of that!) and, worst of all, losing plenty of research time on a Friday night; he probably didn't realize how tired he'd been throughout the week. Kotetsu, on the other hand, had failed miserably to comply to the simplest of tasks: show up before dinner, grab something to eat and discuss what to do when it came to seeing Kriem. This entire story about visiting Jake's former sidekick at the hospital had been taking a toll on Barnaby (hence the sleepless nights the days before).

And now this.

While packing up his stuff, a little yellow post-it got the blonde's attention. It was neatly folded on top of his red jacket. Looking around to make sure no one had just forgotten about it, he put on his glasses and read it with a frown. A few seconds later, a light eyebrow raised and a confused look on his features, Barnaby eagerly discarded the piece of paper and paced out the door in a hurry.

It read, in an elaborate and groomed handwriting:

_"Handsome, you were sound asleep so we didn't wake you up. You looked so kawaii too, dozing off like that… Ah, yes, when you're up we should still be at the local bar – you know, 'Heroes'? You better come and have a drink with us (just a girl's advice) – Tiger-san is with us. He doesn't look too good (poor thing) By the looks of it he'll be leaving the bar on his knees._

_Ja ne, Barnaby-chan!_

_~ Fire Emblem "_

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"Oi, Tiger, knock it off!" all heads turned to Kotetsu as he raised himself from the round wooden table with a loud slam and showed signs of wanting to leave. Bison got up the second after, frowning intently at him, and grabbed his arm a little harder than he would otherwise. "Sit down, will ya?!" the alcohol was getting to everyone's heads by now. Well, not everyone; Bison and Kotetsu seemed to be taking their drinking a little more seriously than the rest of them (Fire Emblem was showing incredible resilience when it came to drinks) and most of them were either too young to drink or simply not interested.

"YOU knock it off, idiot!" Kotetsu's answer came louder than expected. Some people watched the man's outburst from near tables but quickly ignored it afterwards, paying more attention to their drinks and conversations "What about all that shit-talk from earlier, huh? About forgetting and – and getting my mind out of trouble?!" he shoved Antonio's hand, slurring his movements as he walked away. "I'm sorry, everyone. I'm not on the mood to deal with this guy, not tonight." his signature smile was absent from his lips as he went outside, bumping into a couple people in the process and apologizing loudly.

Blue Rose sighed with her arms folded and a concerned look on her pale face, earning her a playful look from Fire Emblem and a little pat on the back.

"It's alright, Karina. Let him clear his head." the flamboyant pink-covered Hero gave her a sympathetic look as she pouted, shrugging at everyone's confused looks.

"He might have had a tough day…" Cyclone muttered, taking a sip of his beverage.

"Shithead." and with that, the biggest member of the team left the table to find solace in another beer, ignoring pretty much anything that got between him and the barman.

It was fairly cold outside and Tiger regretted his decision to not bring his coat along the moment he set foot off the door. He brushed his face lazily, swiping some loose hair from his forehead, and leaned against the wall. Eyes closed and head tilted back, the dark-haired man let out a deep sigh of relief. His cheeks were red, both from the alcohol and the urge not to open up to them. For the past few hours, everything had been going great. Despite noticing how beat up and crestfallen the Wild Tiger looked, most of them carried on without asking or simply ignored it. Of course, Blue Rose had been quite upset about his lack of social-skills for most of the night and Bison had tried to talk to him in private for a couple of times, but other than that, things had been going smoothly.

Until they mentioned Bunny, that is.

"… Kotetsu-san?"

The tipsy Hero let out a gasp as he noticed him.

"B-Bunny!" he stuttered a bit, fighting not to slur his words as he regained some composure. The green-eyed, younger man furrowed his brows, staring at him with hands in pockets and a quizzed expression on his face "G-gomen, I was just, ah, getting some fresh air!" Kotetsu forced a smile, scratching the back of his head. Barnaby didn't seem to buy it.

"You didn't show up." His voice was low and steady. Both switched glances for a second "Why didn't you show up?"

"O-ore, Bunny-chan, I – When I – I didn't – "

"… You're helpless, aren't you." the taller of the two let out a sigh, tilting his head ever-so-slightly as Kotetsu blinked at him. He clearly expected a different outcome for such conversation. Discretely, Barnaby analyzed the older man as he looked around aimlessly, like a child being scolded. To be honest, he looked really down. His clothes were wrinkled, his hair was messy and the dark circles under his dark eyes (he felt suddenly uncomfortable the moment their stares met for a split-second) indicated a few sleepless nights. Barnaby was tired himself, he thought, but something about Kotetsu worried him. Not just his looks but his attitude alone set him up. "I'm gonna grab something to eat." he announced, coldly.

The chance to get away from the rest of his inquiring teammates was too good to be wasted.

"Ah, well, I'm going with you!" he slurred, holding a hand up as he ran for the door "Let me just get my jacke – ah, excuse me now" he nearly collided against a couple of young students who walked out. Barnaby couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.

"Take it easy, old-man." He greeted him back with a smile, striking some more confusion unto poor Tiger's brain. As they walked, excuses were slurred out (although the blonde-haired Hero kept quiet for the whole time) and many angry, drunk profanities were barked at the sky (especially when Kotetsu started a rant on how "Bison thinks he can nose" his "personal business"). The younger member of the duo kept mostly quiet, smiling politely from time to time, trying his best to cover how annoyed he secretly was about Tiger not showing up earlier.

"… Still, about earlier – " the imminent question lingered in the air as they entered a little funny-looking restaurant (they had been pacing around Sternbild while Barnaby didn't make up his mind about where to eat). "You didn't really answer my question back there." Kotetsu's expression softened for a bit. He played around with his food for quite some time, averting the green eyes placed on him.

"It's difficult to – "

"We have time." he didn't sound understanding, yet rather determined to get his excuse. The real one. He… HAD an excuse, right? He didn't just skip their meeting. It wasn't like Kotetsu to do so.

With a deep breath, Tiger raised his hand to ask for a waitress.

"Get me a whisky, on the rocks please." the sudden change of tone on his (usually) playful voice caught the other man by surprise "I'll need a few more drinks for this."

_**End of chapter 1**_


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